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Building official outlines three options to implement Colorado’s Wildfire Resiliency Code in West End zone
Summary
Building official Matt Gonzalez presented the state Wildfire Resiliency Code and offered three compliance paths for the county’s West End zone: rely on existing permits and owner affidavits, create a new 'activity notice' permit workflow, or defer jurisdiction to the state; commissioners leaned toward using existing permits plus outreach and affidavits.
San Miguel County Building Official Matt Gonzalez told the Board of County Commissioners that the new Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code will apply to projects that trigger building or development permits within the state‑defined wildland‑urban interface and outlined how the county might implement compliance for the West End zone district.
Gonzalez explained that applicability centers on two tests: (1) whether a project triggers a permit (new dwelling, large addition, or exterior work that replaces more than 25% of exterior wall or roof) and (2) whether the property falls inside a mapped wildfire‑intensity zone. "Permits or compliance is only required when a permit triggers applicability of the code," he said, adding that properties outside the mapped WUI or that rely on exemptions would not be subject to the code.
Because a portion of San Miguel County’s West End is exempted from county building-code permitting, Gonzalez presented three practical approaches to satisfy the state requirement: (1) use existing permit touchpoints (septic/driveway/addressing) to distribute information and collect a self‑certifying owner affidavit of compliance; (2) create an 'activity notice' workflow in the county permitting portal that bundles a compliance packet with required permits; or (3) request the Division of Fire Prevention and Control to accept jurisdiction and perform permitting and inspections. Gonzalez said the state office is standing up a permitting capacity but staffing and responsiveness are uncertain.
Commissioners discussed administrative burden and resident clarity and expressed a preference for the first approach: use existing county permit mechanisms, provide clear outreach material to West End residents, and collect owner affidavits certifying awareness and self‑attestation of compliance. Commissioner Gleason emphasized outreach and safety as the primary goals and said the county should avoid creating an onerous new permit where possible.
Gonzalez said staff will develop procedures and an information packet and report back to the board before the July 1 enforcement date. He also pointed residents and contractors to the county’s wildfire web page and the state map where property‑level WUI status and exemption lists can be checked. Gonzalez noted a ground‑truthing appeal process in the code for residents who believe the map incorrectly places their property in a higher‑risk polygon.
Ending: County staff will draft the outreach material and a permitting/affidavit workflow based on the commissioners’ direction and return with a proposed process for implementation before the July 1 compliance date.
